Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenian National Congress (HAK) activist of Hrazdan Ghevond Yeghiazaryan was picked up by police and taken to Hrazdan police station at around 1:30 pm today. Epress.am spoke by telephone with Yeghiazaryan himself while he was still in the station. The activist said he had been photographing police officers as they were prohibiting taxi drivers from picking up passengers going to Yerevan.
Police officers approached the young man and said he was interfering with their work, after which they detained him. While speaking to Yeghiazaryan, Epress.am could hear in the background police demanding he hang up the phone and hand it over to them. The HAK activist has since been released.
In addition, Kotayk marz (province) resident Geghetsik Yeremyan called Epress.am today and said it’s not possible to get to Yerevan from the Kotyak town of Nor Hachn. She said that since 1 pm today, the group gathered at the bus stop has been wanting to go to Yerevan but the public transport mini-buses coming from the capital aren’t picking up passengers.
According to Yeremyan, this happens every day. She said that drivers likewise are displeased with the situation. They say they are following orders of the route owner. Unlike the latter, she said, the drivers don’t receive (financial) compensation for not working. If they are unhappy, they’re told, they can leave their job.